ZALDY PATRON (Written by the Management and Editorial Board) 1 / 6
DUE to persistent talks that New York Consul General Tess Dizon-De Vega may be transferred to the DFA Office in Manila to be in-charge of a strategic diplomatic responsibility, the Management and Editorial Board of the Filipino Reporter decided to come up with this editorial. Believing that there is a bit of truth in every rumor, lol, and aware that the communities of Filipinos in the Northeast, particularly New York and New Jersey, where tens of thousands of Filipinos live and work, are quite sensitive to the appointment of a consul general, for whatever purpose it may serve, we are recommending that former New York Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron be considered to the post in the event the current N.Y. Con Gen is re-assigned to Manila. We witnessed for six years how this gentleman and public official conducted himself while he was in New York from 2008-2014. Until now, Zaldy Patron, is well loved and respected by Filipinos in the Northeast. Various associations of Pinoys honored him with big parties when his term ended. We do not exactly know why. Could it be his first name which is akin to a popular Filipino actor in the olden days? Or his cute height? 2 / 6
Joke. Zaldy Patron (6th from left) with community leaders in New Jersey during a farewell party in his honor in 2014. 3 / 6
Currently, we understand that Mr. Zaldy Patron is Executive Director of the Office of ASEAN Affairs in Manila. We read reports of how excellently he and his group organized and managed the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila last month. Executive Director Patron joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1996. Prior to his assignment at the Philippine Consulate General in New York in September 2008, he served as Director of the Office of ASEAN Affairs in Manila. He was also assigned as Second Secretary and Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil from 2002 to 2005 and as Third Secretary and Vice Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia from 1999 to 2002. From 1996 to 1999, he held various positions in the DFA s office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, Office of Asia and Pacific Affairs, Office of Protocol, and Office of Policy Planning and Coordination. Mr. Patron was conferred the Gawad Mabini Award (rank of Dakilang Kasugo) in August 2007 for his performance in the Philippine hosting of the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and related meetings in Manila. 4 / 6
Zaldy Velez Program Executive with Administration Business. He They was is a have married Photography) Patron degree a participant Director three U.S. with in degree Bachelor a children. well-wishers Foreign fellow Patron in from the UPLB of graduated Policy U.S. the Science alumna, from State Ateneo in the from in Department s ASEAN de Sheila Economics Fil-Am the Manila Castillo Framework community University and International Patron. earned of in the held Graduate New Philippines his Visitor in Jersey. Master September School Leadership in Los (Velzon Business of 2007. Baños H. 5 / 6
Zaldy Patron bidding goodbye to the New York-New Jersey Fil-Am community. 6 / 6